This relates generally to electronic devices, and more particularly, to housing members in electronic devices such as electronic devices with wireless communications circuitry.
Electronic devices such as portable computers and cellular telephones are often provided with wireless communications capabilities. For example, electronic devices may use long-range wireless communications circuitry such as cellular telephone circuitry to communicate using cellular telephone bands at 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 1900 MHz, and 2100 MHz. Electronic devices may use short-range wireless communications links to handle communications with nearby equipment. For example, electronic devices may communicate using the WiFi® (IEEE 802.11) bands at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz and the Bluetooth® band at 2.4 GHz. Satellite navigation system signals may be received in bands such as the Global Positioning System band at 1575 MHz.
To satisfy consumer demand for small form factor wireless devices, manufacturers are continually striving to implement wireless communications circuitry such as antenna components using compact structures. To address these concerns, some electronic devices use metal portions of a device housing in forming device antennas.
In antenna configurations such as these, it would be desirable to ensure that antenna operation is relatively immune to the influence of contact with the antenna structures. For example, antenna operation should be satisfactory even in the event that a user grasps an electronic device housing in a way that causes the user's hand to come into contact with the antenna structures. It may also be desirable to incorporate dielectric materials into device housing structures to enhance device aesthetics.
It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide improved housing structures for electronic devices such as electronic devices with antenna structures formed from device housing structures.